1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to writing or marking apparatus and more specifically to writing instruments and other apparatus for creating unique markings, or covert prints within an ink line marked with ink, or other marking substances, thereby providing means for verification of document authorship, origin and/or content authenticity.
2. Description of the Related Art
It can be appreciated that writing or marking apparatus and other instruments for marking substrates such as pens have been in use for centuries. Specifically, pens are used to write and/or sign documents such as contracts, currency, bonds, stocks, securities, travelers checks, bank checks, credit cards, credit cards receipts, passports, airline tickets, labels, green cards, prescription slips, tests and examinations, police or witness reports, affidavits, research documents, legal waivers and releases, and any other business, personal, legal and/or government documents in which identification of the creator or signatory is critical. Writing instruments may also be used in many unofficial applications, including but not limited to personal correspondence, journaling for posterity, archiving and scrap-booking, writing for publication, autographing, or a variety of other unofficial purposes.
Writing instruments known in the art are limited in that they do not provide means for identifying writing or their marks as unique to a particular writing instrument for the purposes of security or verification of authorship, origin and/or content authenticity. Reliance on writing analysis has been one of the sole bases for establishing authenticity. Thus, conventional writing instruments do not offer security features, and it is possible to forge or otherwise deceitfully obscure the origin, authorship and/or content authenticity of writings by simply mimicking the signature or writing of another individual or mechanism.
While conventional writing instruments and marking apparatus such as pens are suitable for writing and creating a mark, they often fail to provide means of verification of document authorship, origin and/or content authenticity on solely the basis of the instrument used. The marking apparatus of the present invention, including the writing instruments presented herein, substantially improve upon the designs of the prior art by providing a writing instrument and marking apparatus that create a unique marking or covert print within a printed or written ink line or marking, thereby providing means of verification of document authorship, origin and/or content authenticity.